Mixed Media Art

Favorite Online Classes

It is no secret to my friends that I am a sucker for online art classes and workshops. I take as many as I can, as often as I can. Some of them have not only an element to them, but also a self help or positive message along with them. I mainly look for art that inspires me and if there are emotional and uplifting elements with it, I consider it a bonus. So, I thought that I would share with you a few of my favorites.

First up, and in no particular order, is Inspiration Wednesdays by Donna Downey. Donna has a year long workshop that she teaches online called Inspiration Wednesdays. Every other Wednesday for the entire year, she sends you a lesson that you create in your Inspiration Journal, which you can purchase from her or purchase one of her online classes to learn how to make your own. I get excited every week that I know it’s time for a new lesson! She uses all sorts of different mediums to create gorgeous art journal pages. The lessons are always different and inspirational. I absolutely love it! And the best part is that it is only $35 for the entire year! What an affordable price. To find out more information about Donna and her workshops, visit her website:

The next artist is known for her beautiful, whimsical and fierce females. She also creates beautiful works of art in watercolor, as well as mixed media, and lives in Australia. Have you guessed who it is yet? It’s the lovely Jane Davenport. Last year she had one of the best selling books, “Beautiful Faces,” which she created into an online workshop that you. The book is used as a tool during the class as well as her videos from the workshop. I took the class and purchases her book. Definitely one of my favorite online workshops and one of my favorite books! Jane also has many other workshops available. You can find them on her website here:

Another favorite artist of mine is Christy Tomlinson. Christy is know for her “She Art” and “She Matters” art retreats. I’m sorry to say that I have yet to attend one of her “She Matters” retreats, but it is definitely on my bucket list. Her “She Art” girls range from cute, faceless figures to women with gorgeous flower headdresses. Christy also has a workshop on creating bracelets out of belts and is deep into the planning craze. All of her workshops that I have taken were amazing and I highly recommend them. You can find Christy’s website here:

I’ve had the pleasure of taking several in person classes with the next artist. She resided in New York City for several years before returning to Boston last year. To me, she is the Goddess of art journaling and such an enthusiastic teacher. I present to you, Julie Fei-Fan Balzer. Julie is an amazing stamp carver, stencil and stamp designer, teacher, art journaler…the list goes on and on. She has an array of online classes from stamp carving to how to create a Junque Journal. I have loved all of her classes, online and in person, that I have taken. You can find them here:

And last but definitely not least is an artist that truly tries to help her students understand art and the beauty of life. Kelly Rae Roberts focuses on creating art with a positive message. Her new course “Spirit Wings,” is no exception. The class started a few months ago but you can join in the fun at any time. You can find the “Spirit Wings” class as well as several others here:

Post navigation

2 thoughts on “Favorite Online Classes”

Hi! Based on your recommendation I signed up for the Donna Downey course! I’ll keep you posted on how it’s working out for me. This was a great post for us mixed media journaling newbies who need direction. The web can be so overpowering with everything available for us to choose from. Have a great week.